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Monday, July 31, 2017

The Quarry | Hingham

Introducing my new favorite restaurant! If The Quarry was located in Newton I'd become a regular. We had such a nice dinner experience on our drive home from the Cape one warm July evening.

The Quarry shines in every aspect of the dining experience. A cozy, casual, atmospheric bar fronts a classy, polished, visually stunning dining room with vaulted ceilings and wall-to-wall windows that look out over the quarry itself. The setting is complimented by equally polished and attentive service. Then there's the scenic, serene, al fresco terrace. I wont call it Waterfront dining - but quarry front - how unique! Most importantly - the food is terrific.

We each chose a beer from the well rounded selection - a Bad Martha's 508 IPA and the chefs very own draught Pineapple Tikiweizen which he brewed down the street at Barrel House Z. After our perfectly chilled beers arrive, a server sweeps over with a warm basket of bread and tableside olive oil service. He meticulously prepares the oil for dipping by grating fresh garlic and sprinkling in red pepper flakes and dried herbs.

The small plates section of the menu is stellar with numerous dishes and nearly all sound enticing. The Crispy Pork Belly Bun ($4) was one of the best baos I've had. Simply done with hoisin sauce, cucumber and cilantro, it was an ethereal bite of tender, slightly crisp pork belly. I was equally charmed by a generous serving of Fresh Burrata Caprese ($15) with juicy tomatoes and a luscious duo of balsamic glaze and pesto. Lastly, we couldn't pass up the Roasted Figs ($7) - three candy sweet nuggets stuffed with bleu cheese and proscuitto to add that key punch of sharp, creamy and salty flavors. I'm glad we went with three small plates to start the meal, the portions felt like just enough without overdoing it.

Entrees also delight at The Quarry. A Pan Roasted Swordfish ($29) comes over a flavorful succotash of house smoked bacon, roasted corn, lobster, chipoltle and roasted potatoes. The Local Lobster Brodetto ($28) offers a 1/2 lobster over generous potions of toothsome scallops, shrimp, calamari, clams and mussels bathing in a savory saffron tomato broth. I'm pretty confident you can't go wrong on this menu. We debated over dessert - of course we were full after all this food, but what's a new restaurant experience without it?! We settled on Lavazza Espresso ($4) and the chef sent over our choice of digestif - Limoncello for him, Amaro for her (also the chef's favorite. If you haven't gotten into Amaro yet, I highly recommend.) For the divine grand finale a Cider Doughnut Sundae ($8) tops a warm, sugary doughnut with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream chocolate and salted caramel sauce.